Reflecting the range of artistic innovation that defined the year in music, The Recording Academy welcomes the class of nominees for the 59th Annual GRAMMY Awards. The top nominees are Beyoncé with nine, followed by Drake, Rihanna and Kanye West, who each garnered eight, and Chance The Rapper with seven.

The dynamic range of this year's nominees is exhibited across several Fields, including American Roots Music, R&B, Dance/Electronic Music, and Rock, but it's arguably best showcased in the Album Of The Year category, which represents a mix of genres — pop, R&B, rap, and country. These recordings exhibit an even greater degree of musical advancement and sonic experimentation: the emotion-stirring vocals of Adele, who brings a soulful depth to a collection of classically fine-tuned pop ballads; Beyoncé's ability to paint a picture, layering poignant R&B vocals over a tapestry of sounds that range from blues-rock to hip-hop; Justin Bieber's growth as a songwriter and evolution as a pop powerhouse; Drake's continued genre-bending, which now invites island influences to his signature sound; and the definition-defying Sturgill Simpson who made many of us re-explore the vast territories of country music.

"Just as we see emerging musicians experimenting, we're also seeing established artists resisting what's expected of them and, instead, embracing the creative freedom they've been afforded through their success, blurring the lines between music's mainstream and artistic edge," said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy.

Best New ArtistKelsea Ballerini The Chainsmokers Chance The Rapper Maren Morris Anderson .Paak

Following is a sampling of nominations in the GRAMMY Awards' other 29 Fields:

For Best Pop Vocal Album, the nominees are 25 by Adele; Purpose by Justin Bieber; Dangerous Woman by Ariana Grande; Confident by Demi Lovato; and This Is Acting by Sia.

The nominees for Best Dance/Electronic Album are Skin by Flume; Electronica 1: The Time Machine by Jean-Michel Jarre; Epoch by Tycho; Barbara Barbara, We Face A Shining Future by Underworld; and Louie Vega Starring…XXVIII by Louie Vega.

For Best Rock Album, the nominees are California by Blink-182; Tell Me I'm Pretty by Cage The Elephant; Magma by Gojira; Death Of A Bachelor by Panic! At The Disco; and Weezer by Weezer.

The Best Alternative Music Album nominees are 22, A Million by Bon Iver; Blackstar by David Bowie; The Hope Six Demolition Project by PJ Harvey; Post Pop Depression by Iggy Pop; and A Moon Shaped Pool by Radiohead.

For Best Urban Contemporary Album, the nominees are Lemonade by Beyoncé; Ology by Gallant; We Are King by King; Malibu by Anderson .Paak; and Anti by Rihanna.

The nominees for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album are Poets & Saints by All Sons & Daughters; American Prodigal by Crowder; Be One by Natalie Grant; Youth Revival [Live] by Hillsong Young & Free; and Love Remains by Hillary Scott & The Scott Family.

For Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical, the nominees are Benny Blanco, Greg Kurstin, Max Martin, Nineteen85, and Ricky Reed.

The nominees for Best Music Video are "Formation" by Beyoncé; "River" by Leon Bridges; "Up & Up" by Coldplay; "Gosh" by Jamie XX; and "Upside Down & Inside Out" by OK Go.

This year's GRAMMY Awards process registered more than 22,000 submissions across 84 categories. As the only peer-selected music award, the GRAMMY is voted on by The Recording Academy's Voting membership, who represent all genres and creative disciplines, including recording artists, songwriters, producers, mixers, and engineers. Final-round GRAMMY ballots will be mailed Dec. 14 and are due Jan. 13, 2017, when they will be tabulated and the results kept secret until the 59th GRAMMY Awards telecast.

The Recording Academy will present the 59th GRAMMY Awards on Sunday, Feb. 12, 2017, live from Staples Center in Los Angeles and broadcast on the CBS Television Network from 8–11:30 pm ET/5–8:30 pm PT. Follow Recording Academy/GRAMMYs onFacebook, Twitter andInstagramand use #GRAMMYs to join the conversation.

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Photo: Taylor Hill/FilmMagic

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